Best Chocolate Cake
MAKES
one three layer 9 inch / 23 cm cake
TAKES
Prep time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 4 hours 30 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This dreamy chocolate cake has everything I’m looking for: tender, moist cake with intense chocolate flavor. Best of all, it’s easy to make and can even be made without a mixer. Filled with cream cheese frosting and finished with a smooth fudge frosting that can stand up to piping if you feel like adding some decorative flair. Chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting recipes excerpted from Bake Anything (2026 - Harvest, an imprint of Harper Collins).
INGREDIENTS
Best Chocolate Cake Layers
105 g / 1 ¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (see headnote)
230 g / 1 cup boiling water or freshly brewed hot coffee
245 g / 1 ½ cups buttermilk
170 g / 3 large eggs, at room temperature
230 g / 1 cup vegetable oil
545 g / 2 ¾ cups granulated sugar
15 g / 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
360 g / 3 cups all purpose flour
8 g / 2 teaspoons baking powder
6 g / 1 teaspoon baking soda
4 g / 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Fudge Frosting
148 g / 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
5 g / 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
454 g / 1 pound semisweet chocolate
226 g / 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 7 g / ½ tablespoon pieces
198 g / 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
3 g / ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
5 g / 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
226 g / 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
113 g / ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
454 g / 1 pound powdered sugar
10 g / 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
60 g / ¼ cup sour cream
sprinkles, as needed for finishing (optional - or other garnishes like toasted coconut, chocolate curls, finely chopped nuts, etc.)
Make This Recipe With Me:
METHOD
1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C with an oven rack in the center. Grease three 9 inch / 23 cm round cake pans with nonstick spray, and line the bases with parchment paper. Lightly grease the surface of the parchment paper with nonstick spray.
2. Place the cocoa powder in a large heat-safe bowl. Pour the water or coffee over the cocoa powder, and whisk to combine. Add the buttermilk and whisk the mixture until smooth and evenly combined.
3. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla, and whisk well to combine and is smooth.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to evenly combine. Add the dry ingredients to the cocoa mixture, whisking well to combine. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well to ensure everything is even and homogenous.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, filling each pan about two thirds of the way full (about 645 g / 22 ¾ ounces per pan). Transfer to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached, about 40-45 minutes.
6. Cool the cakes inside the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper if it comes out of the pan with the cake.
7. Make the fudge frosting: in a medium pot, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder until well combined.
8. Add the chocolate and butter, and continue to stir until both ingredients are melted. Whisk in the powdered sugar, and salt. Continue to whisk until the mixture has a smooth texture.
9. Remove the mixture from the heat, and whisk in the vanilla extract until well combined. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl, and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let the frosting cool and thicken before using, at least 1 hour. (NOTE: if the icing appears clumpy or not smooth, strain it through a fine mesh sieve before using.)
10. Make the cream cheese frosting: in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Scrape the sides and base of the bowl well.
11. Gradually add the powdered sugar about one-quarter at a time, mixing on low speed until each addition is incorporated, and scraping the bowl well after each addition. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl well.
12. Add the vanilla, salt, and sour cream and mix on low speed to incorporate, then raise the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl well.
13. Assemble the cake: use a turntable and a serrated knife to help you level the surface of each cake. Use a small amount of the cream cheese frosting to help you adhere one of the layers onto a 9 inch / 23 cm cake cardboard, if desired. Center the cardboard in the middle of the turntable. If not using a cake cardboard, center the first layer of cake with the cut/leveled side facing up in the center of the turntable, using cream cheese frosting to adhere it directly to the stand.
14. Scoop about 1/3 of the cream cheese frosting into the center of the cake, and then spread into a fairly even layer, stopping about ¼ inch / 6 mm from the outer edge. Place the second cake layer, and press down gently to adhere, and to encourage the filling in the center to come closer to the edges. Repeat the process, using another 1/3 of the frosting.
15. Place the third cake layer on top, then use the rest of the frosting to frost the top and crumb coat the exterior of the cake. Refrigerate it for about 30 minutes, or freeze it for about 10 minutes.
16. Place the chilled cake on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Pour the cooled fudge over the cake, starting in the center, and working your way around the cake until the top and sides and fully glazed, allowing the excess to drip off onto the baking sheet.
17. Use an offset spatula to remove the cake from the rack, and transfer to a cake platter or stand. If using, press sprinkles or other garnish around the sides of the cake to fully coat them. Let the fudge set for at least 30 minutes before serving.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
